Question:
I was told my one doctor that I should get a chin implant along with my nose job. I was not really planning on this. I am open to the idea and would like to know what sort of complications are associated with chin implants and how often they occur.
Answer:
A chin implant is an excellent operation to do with a nose job because, for the most part, you are really are talking about effecting your profile entirely and making an improvement to your whole look. A chin implant is usually inserted from underneath the chin so that you do not have to worry about infection and the scar is usually 1 cm to 2 cm in size, which is very small. The chin implant is placed underneath the periosteum of the bone and adheres to this area so that the implant itself does not move when you move the chin and simulates just having an extended piece of bone over the chin area. It is an absolutely excellent procedure, it heals over about one week, it is permanent and the chance of infection is extremely small. The one particular possible complication that we all pay attention to is to make sure that the mental nerve, which is laterally out over the chin, is not disturbed so that you do not get any numbness around the chin. In my practice of over 25 years, I think I have not had more than one or two of the most minor complications with chin implants, which is an absolutely excellent procedure.
Posted by Richard Galitz, MD, FACS
